Bayer crop unit apologizes to farmers after Twitter gaffe

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Bayer AG’s crop science division apologized on Monday for a tweet that suggested reduced meat demand could benefit the environment, in a bid to appease outraged farmers who buy the company’s seeds and chemicals.

The corporate logo of Bayer is seen at the headquarters building in Caracas May 6, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

The tweet, published on the official Bayer Crop Science (@Bayer4crops) account on Sunday, linked to a Vox.com article that said "going vegetarian can cut your food carbon footprint in half." (bit.ly/1mmwsdi)

The post sparked a backlash on Twitter from North American grain growers who sell much of their harvests to livestock operations and from farmers who raise animals. A decline in meat consumption would hurt their incomes.

“Oh you just lost all my business,” Lance Schiele (@schiele_lance), a livestock producer and grain farmer, said in a tweet to Bayer Crop Science.

The gaffe comes as Bayer AG is trying to acquire Monsanto Co, the world’s largest seed maker. The potential tie-up has faced resistance from some farmers worried about consolidation in the agriculture sector.

A Bayer Crop Science spokesman said on Monday that the tweet was a mistake and did not reflect the company’s views.

The company has deleted the posting and tweeted apologies to about 130 individual Twitter users who complained about it.